In class we have recently completed discussing and working on whether books should be banned from school libraries or if they shouldn't be banned. I just finished reading,"13 Reasons Why" by Jay Asher which includes various themes that many parents wouldn't allow their children to read. This book talks about death, sex, violence and betrayal. Each of these themes have lessons in the end. Many parents aren't comfortable with allowing their kids to read this content. This book is on the banned book list. Many parents want to ban books like these, because they are "protecting" their children from reality. Parents should not be able to ban books simply because they're not ready or the books contain mature content.
Many parents want to ban books because of the content that are displayed in them. What parents don't realize is that almost every book has a lesson and they teach us very important things. For example in the article "The Banned Books We Have Loved" by Jen Doll she states that books have taught us crucial lessons that we must know in life. "From Bridge to Teribithia, we learned the importance of friendships and being open to those that might not seem 'appropriate.' We learned that death can be sudden and unexpected, and terribly tragic-but that we owe it to ourselves, and those we've loved, to go on." Some books may contain mature themes that shouldn't be read by children, but why ban it for the rest of the world? Another example of books containing lessons is from Jen Doll too, "From Go Ask Alice, we learned that a life can go off rails all too quickly; that drugs should be considered with caution; that a diary can be an important record of our time." I believe that parents shouldn't be able to ban books because every child should read about these themes. They are simply reading about it not doing these actions.
Many parents aren't comfortable with their children reading books that have mature writing and have themes like drugs, sex, violence and abuse. Most people are more likely to read the book if it's on the banned books list. In the article "The Banned Books We've Loved" by Jen Doll, "It is a badge of honor to have people try to ban your books from schools and school libraries, only because it means your books have become popular and are being noticed." The ban books list with attract people to read the list and eventually read the books. I feel that parents are only looking at the fact that the books have those themes in them but they tell the readers that doing those things are awful and don't end well. For example, in the book I currently finished reading , "13 Reasons Why" by Jay Asher its talks about betrayal and friendship. "Betrayal. It's one of the worst feelings." (3.63) Hannah, the main character, announces this theme early in the novel. The author is saying that betrayal and leaving your friends isn't the right thing to do. Another example of this theme is, "Hannah takes Justin's betrayal so seriously because it affects her life in real ways." This quote shows that when you spread rumors it hurts others and it really affects that person. These themes have various lessons that teach children about how to react to different problems in life. If kids didn't read these in books how else would they learn about them? Parents are too protective of what their children are going to learn about in books, but in the end they have to learn/know about it someday.
All in all, many parents aren't comfortable with allowing their kids to read books that have themes like sex, violence and drugs, but why ban it for everyone else in the world? Parents should be aware that their kids may or may not be ready to read about such mature themes, but parents shouldn't ban books just because their kids aren't ready, other children are and they would want to read the books. Parents should know if their children are ready or not to read a type of book.
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